domingo, 29 de novembro de 2020

HAVE IN YOUR MIND THIS AUTOFLIGHT "MENTAL MODEL"

 





The crew failed to notice that mismanagement of the aircraft during an approach, using an unfamiliar level of automation in preference to the visual approach for which they had been cleared, had resulted in the A/T setting thrust to idle. They then delayed a decision to initiate a go around until it was no longer possible.

 

A tripulação falhou em perceber que o mau gerenciamento da aeronave durante uma aproximação, usando um nível não-familiar de automação em preferência à aproximação visual para a qual haviam sido autorizados, teve resultado na configuração do A/T [Autothrottle = Potência Automática] para marcha-lenta [IDLE]. Eles então atrasaram a decisão de iniciar uma arremetida  até que isso não fosse mais possível.

 

Crew confusion and near loss of control when the automatics were allowed to capture a false ILS GS lobe during a Cat 3 approach at Paris CDG in IMC.

 

Confusão da tripulação e quase perda de controle quando as [funções] automáticas foram permitidas capturar um falso  ILS GS lóbulo [de frequência] durante uma aproximação CAT 3 em Paris, CDG em IMC. [Charles DeGaulle; Condição Mínima por Instrumentos]

The crew comprehensively mismanaged the automation both during the approach and during the go around which, subsequently, became necessary. The Investigation identified significant issues with the crew understanding of automation.

 

A tripulação compreensivamente gerenciava mal a automação durante a aproximação e durante a arremetida, a qual posteriormente, tornou-se necessária. A Investigação identificou problemas significativos com a compreensão pela tripulação acerca da automação.

The crew failed to notice that they were attempting to fly the approach with thrust at idle and their attempt at a last minute recovery was mismanaged.

 

A tripulação falhou em notar que eles estavam tentando voar a aproximação com potência em IDLE [Marcha-Lenta] e a tentativa deles  de uma recuperação de último minuto foi mal gerenciada.

 

Pilot Training must:

O treinamento do piloto deve:

 

ensure that a sufficient understanding of both the basis for automated system functionality and its partial as well as full use is fully understood.

 

garantir que um entendimento suficiente de ambos, a base para a funcionalidade do sistema automatizado quanto de seu uso parcial e completo seja totalmente compreendida.

ensure that pilots are able to understand the importance of monitoring the expected function of automation so that in the event their incorrect inputs or malfunction have unexpected consequences, timely corrective action can be taken.

garantir que os pilotos sejam capazes de entender a importância de monitorar a função esperada da automação para que, caso suas entradas incorretas ou mau funcionamento tenham consequências inesperadas, ações corretivas oportunas possam ser tomadas.

ensure pilots can ‘identify and use the appropriate level of automation for the task in hand’. For example:

garantir que os pilotos possam "identificar e usar o nível apropriado de automação para a tarefa em mãos". Por exemplo:

In the cruise, highest levels of automation using FMC for navigation and flight path control is a great reducer of workload.

 

No cruzeiro, os mais altos níveis de automação usando FMC [Computadores de Gerenciamento de Voo] para navegação e controle de trajetos de voo é um grande redutor de carga de trabalho.

Trying to use the FMC to control the flightpath in the terminal area to cope with rapid changes to the required flight path can so saturate the crew with tasks it can lead to overload & devastating loss of SA. (Cali Columbia?)

 

Tentar usar o FMC para controlar a rota de voo na área da terminal aérea para lidar com mudanças rápidas na rota de voo necessária pode saturar a tripulação com tarefas que podem levar à sobrecarga e perda devastadora da SA. (Cali Columbia?) [Altitude do Setor].

Recovering from undesired deviations from the required flight path or excursions may require prompt disengagement of AP-FD systems and accurate manual handling to recover the situation.

 

A recuperação de desvios indesejados da rota de voo ou excursões necessárias pode exigir o desligamento imediato dos sistemas AP-FD [Piloto Automático-Diretor de Voo] e o manuseio manual preciso para recuperar a situação.

The Autothrottle (A/T) must be seen as part of the overall automation system. Pilots must be able to competently fly the aircraft with or without it engaged just as they would be expected to be able to fly the aircraft with or without the Autopilot (AP).

O Autothrottle (A/T) deve ser visto como parte do sistema global de automação. Os pilotos devem ser capazes de pilotar a aeronave com ou sem ele engajado, assim como seria de esperar para ser capaz de pilotar a aeronave com ou sem o Piloto Automático (AP).

The ability to master automation in state-of-the-art aircraft must undoubtedly be included in any modern discussion of aviation proficiency.

 

A capacidade de dominar a automação em aeronaves de última geração deve, sem dúvida, ser incluída em qualquer discussão moderna sobre proficiência em aviação.







terça-feira, 25 de fevereiro de 2020

Fuel-saving Wake Surfing - Airbus And Boeing


Boeing’s test in 2018 with its 777F ecoDemonstrator flying behind another FedEx 777F and Airbus’ Fello’fly demonstration.



Avionics required to enable automated wake surfing, particularly automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B).

ADS-B is now mandatory in the U.S.
Now planes have the avionics to make this possible.
The regulations say don’t do it. So the next step is getting the regulations changed.

We will do it first with cargo aircraft, and we are working with Airbus on the regulatory aspects.

Agreeing on the procedures between aircraft, operators and air traffic control (ATC) that will enable wake surfing.

There are two things wake surfing is not. The first is a drag reduction technique. Instead, to maintain steady, level flight within the updraft from the wake vortex, the aircraft must pitch nose-down so it is descending relative to the upward moving air. The lift vector, normally vertical, is tilted slightly forward. This counters some of the drag, requiring less thrust to maintain horizontal flight. This reduces fuel consumption.

The second is traditional formation flying. Military aircraft fly in close formation, a few wingspans apart. Commercial aircraft would fly in extended formation, up to 1 nm apart, on what the industry prefers to call “cooperative trajectories.” This greater distance—10 or more wingspans for commercial aircraft—reduces the fuel-saving benefit but eases the workload on the pilots.

For Boeing’s 777F ecoDemonstrator flight test, Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems modified its traffic collision alert system (TCAS) to perform airborne interrogation of the lead aircraft for EHS data. The system sent ADS-B and EHS data to a flight-test laptop that hosted the wake prediction algorithm on the trail aircraft. The laptop then sent a command to the autopilot’s localizer control law, which was used to keep the aircraft on station relative to the wake. “ADS-B plus TCAS may work.


quinta-feira, 16 de janeiro de 2020

Impact of GNSS signal loss on aircraft operations - Be Prepared


The power of the GPS signal “is comparable to the power emitted by a 60-watt light bulb located more than 20,000 km [12,000 mi.] away from the surface of the earth; this means the signal could easily be disturbed by any ground source located near an aircraft and emitting in the GPS L1 frequency,” Airbus experts in operations, navigation and security say in a company publication focusing on safety.



Interference can cause the loss of GNSS position and timing. In that instance, the Flight Management System (FMS) will revert to the onboard inertial reference system (IRS) and ground-based navigation aids, such as DME and VOR (distance measuring equipment and VHF omnidirectional range). “A loss of GNSS inputs does not lead to a map shift or an erroneous position computation by the FMS. In the case of a loss of GPS signal, the FMS switches from the mixed GPS/IRS position to an IRS-DME/DME position or IRS-VOR/DME or pure IRS, in order of priority,” the experts explain.

How to handle these events in the daily aircraft operations

When GNSS signals from satellite constellation are lost or degraded by interferences, depending on the duration, aircraft capabilities can be maintained, limited or lost during the flight. 

Cockpit effects that can be observed by the flight crew during total loss of GNSS signal.

Click on images for sized complete  view



Maintenance recommendations to be considered during post-flight analysis after GNSS loss event.




 A320, A330, A340, A380 and A350 aircrafts



 GPS output sent to the IRS which sends a “hybridized” position to the FMS).
These aircraft are fitted with two MMRs, three ADIRUs and two (A320/A330/A340/A380) or three (A350) FMS to compute the aircraft position. 
In case GPS data is lost due to GNSS RFI affecting both MMRs, the aircraft position source will switch to pure IRS and will enter into the so called coasting mode. If the integrity of GPIRS data is degraded enough then the position source will switch to other radio navigation based solution (from FMS) according to the availability of DME and VOR. If Navaids are not available, the aircraft position solution will switch to IRS only.




sexta-feira, 10 de janeiro de 2020

CAE Hurry Up Production of Boeing 737 Max Flight Simulators

Click on image for enlargement view 
Long a manufacturer of full-flight simulators, CAE also runs the world’s largest training network for civil aviation pilots, with about 300 devices deployed at company-run facilities in cities such as Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur and London. CAE says its 2,000 instructors train more than 135,000 pilots every year.
Airlines that bought the MAX have had to cancel flights while the global fleet remains grounded.
If only computer-based training were required for renewed 737 MAX commercial flying, Boeing’s largest customer Southwest Airlines Co had said it would take one to two months to prepare its more than 9,500 pilots on the updates.
Southwest had not been part of Boeing’s recent discussions on pilot training recommendations and could not provide additional cost or timing estimates before there was specific guidance, spokeswoman Brandy King said.
Southwest has three MAX simulators in various stages of FAA certification and expects three more later this year.
American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines each have one MAX simulator.
Not many MAX simulators exist and it was unclear if training could be performed on the 737 NG simulator that 737 pilots have used until now. As of December, Toronto-based manufacturer CAE Inc had delivered 23 MAX full-flight simulators, a spokeswoman said.
The FAA said on Tuesday it will consider Boeing’s recommendations during training evaluations of U.S. and international flight crew alongside regulators from Canada, Europe and Brazil.
Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who has leaned toward mandatory simulator training for Canadian 737 MAX operators, said in a statement that Boeing’s signaling the importance of such training was “encouraging.”

quinta-feira, 9 de janeiro de 2020

Boeing 737-800 MAX training on Tablet before Accidents Criticized

Boeing’s proposal to skip flight simulator training for pilots when its grounded fleet of 737 Maxes is cleared to resume service is not an innocent one. Much of the criticism the company has faced is that the original training for the Max 8 for pilots who had flown previous versions of the 737 aircraft was an hour-long course on a tablet. This was part of a scheme by the company to reduce the cost of the new plane for airlines and minimize the time needed to get it into the air. Corners were cut in order to beat back a challenge from Boeing’s European-based rival Airbus, whose new short- and mid-range commercial jet was threatening to capture lucrative markets long dominated by the US giant as well as the rapidly growing Asian market.


PORTUGUÊS
A proposta da BOEING de pular o treinamento de simulador de voo para pilotos quando sua frota  de 737 Maxes no solo for liberada para retomar o serviço não é inocente. Grande parte das críticas que a empresa tem enferentado é que o treinamento original para o Max 8 para pilotos que haviam voado versões anteriores da aeronave 737 era um curso de uma hora em um tablet. Isso fazia parte de um esquema da empresa para reduzir o custo do novo avião para as companhias aéreas e minimizar o tempo necessário para obtê-lo no ar. As arestas foram aparadas para vencer um desafio da rival europeia AIRBUS, cuja nova aeronave comercial de curto e médio alcance ameaçava capturar mercados lucrativos há muito dominados pelo gigante dos EUA, bem como pelo mercado asiático em rápido crescimento.